The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella)

Chapter 1541

It seemed heartless to cast her out due to her severe injury.

"We'll have her move into the guest house next door for these days, to reflect on her actions." Louisa nodded in agreement, "It's a

fair punishment."

"In a few days, both our families will be gathering here. They've grown quite fond of Serena over the years. If they knew about her

behavior, they'd be so disappointed. We'll have to find the right moment to break it to them, and not like last twhen mom got

so worked up she nearly fell ill again."

Kenneth had hoped for a joyful season, never anticipating it would cto this.

He nodded in resignation, "We'll do as you say."

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"Serena probably thinks we're oblivious to her deeds, and with Bella being so non-confrontational, she's never been called out on

it. That's probably emboldened her. Let's have her reflect for now, but if she doesn't turn over a new leaf, she'll have no place in

the Collins family."

They could not allow their adopted daughter to continue causing turmoil in front of their biological child.

Louisa continued, "When Bella comes home, we should have a talk with her. She's been through a lot this past year, and we

haven't been as attentive as we should've been."

The thought of their daughter suffering right under their roof dampened Louisa's appetite for breakfast.

"Don't stress too much; your health is important,” while Kenneth said this, he served Louisa seggs, but he himself had lost his

appetite. After eighteen years, the bond with Serena was not easily severed. They had put their energy into doting on her for

eighteen years, and yet the latter kept bullying their own daughter in the dark, which would be an unadulterated shock,

disappointment and heartbreak.

Remembering Serena's tearful plea the night before, Kenneth felt played.

"That girl, crying so innocently last night, anyone would think the whole world had wronged her." Kenneth was taken aback by her

convincing act, "If it weren't for Bella's words today, I'd still feel guilty, like we'd wronged her, but she's far from innocent."

"She's played on the trust and affection we've given her over the years, always turning on the tears in front of us. Yes, she used to

be so sweet, so sensible; it's hard to imagine her doing any of this. She cried, and we believed her every time," Louisa's smile was

tinged with sadness. She could never imagine the kid they once pampered the most would take advantage of their kindness, lie to

them and make fool of them.

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They weren't naive or lacking in insight; they had simply trusted the child they had raised unconditionally. Who would suspect their

own child of deceit without reason?

In their presence, Serena had always seemed perfect, too perfect for them to suspect anything.

And whenever a shred of doubt surfaced, Serena's tears and feigned innocence would soften their hearts, and they'd push aside

their suspicions.

"Let's have breakfast first; then we'll deal with this," Kenneth said, offering Louisa a bite of her sandwich, encouraging her to eat

something.

The disappointment was real, but they had to focus on Bella's situation.

"In a way, we're also to blame. If we had announced Bella's identity and her engagement to Romeo sooner, perhaps Serena

wouldn't have been so scheming. At least she wouldn't have lied about the engagement.”